solipsism5

In the novel the aunt hasn’t been seen by Uea since he was a young boy. Uea’s mom and his aunt stopped talking to each other because of some argument. Uea hardly knows where his aunt lives and is only going there because he has no other possibilities. His aunt runs a popular restaurant in town and that’s how he finds her. She and her husband started the business and she runs it by herself after he passed away.

I believe it’s based in Singapore. It’s weird how the Thai BL’s, especially GMMTV ones, will start very high and just stay there. There are many anomalies I point out in their rating system that just occur all the time. It’s not just that the Korean and Japanese BL’s always get lower ratings but that other strange things happen like no one rating a given show for weeks ( Never Let Me Go).

MDL might not be influential but I’m sure they believe they are. They might manipulate ratings thinking they can influence the market in some way.

This rating is offensively low. I almost feel Thai companies pay someone to reduce all the ratings for Korean and Japanese BL’s. Why is this not a 9.0? I wish I could work with a group of investors and buy MDL so we could bring fairness back into its ridiculous rating system.

Don't get greedy now, this budget is like 10-50 times more than what I would expect previous Korean BL's to have. We can't just go light years into the future. The length of this series as well as its enhanced cinematography is really unexpected and is a big leap forward. I hope to see even more in the future, but I almost wonder how they would ever get a return on their investment in homophobic South Korea.

This is really is the "most complete" kbl, as you've said, and I agree with everything else you mentioned here.

This is outrageously good. Someone take my temperature, I'm feeling faint. What a game changer this BL is. I know some people are saying it's like a gay drama, but I think it's more of a Bl with LGBTQ+ sensibility. I think adding this element makes this more a pure BL than those artificial Thai BL's in their cloistered high school, and college campuses. This BL has a sense of real authenticity. I think the characters are almost palpably real - I feel I can reach through my screen and touch them. The best fantasy is the one that is the most realistic, like with Tolkein who created a multitude of languages for every sentient species in his fantasy world, as well as ornate and detailed histories for them. I really love the natural feel of all the characters here and their spontaneous seeming interactions. This is the best BL for me, and brings together great acting, cinematography, directing, and a really tasteful music score. Not much is happening, but it's still the best, and just the liveliness of the characters, the vividness of their portrayal, and the quiet tension between the leads and their "antagonists" has somehow provided all the entertainment. It's amazing that it's so good with nothing even happening. It's got an entertaining way of telling a story without a lot of fanfare, and I'm just totally appreciative of that.

I never watch reaction videos, but I just noticed this one because James looks spectral in this as it came across my youtube feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeoBI5Bo7kA&ab_channel=MandeeChannel. I think the show must have drained all the blood out of him.

The mom is a monster. I'm Asian myself but raised in the West. No matter what kind of deep respect you are supposed to show your parents in Asian culture, I can't respect a mom that let's her son be sexually molested by her own husband, and who tells him he's completely worthless, and yet scavenges off of him. This woman is pure evil, and deserves no parental respect. There are cultural differences between West and East, but let's get real - hating this woman [especially as a parent] should be universal. Uea should have no obligation to her whatsoever.

It is not a happy ending at all. The whole plot is that the Teddy Bear comes to life and changes everyone's life for the better, and he's the main character - he's the total focus of the series. He then commits suicide at the end. He does this so that the other lover who never even paid attention to Nut for years can come back and they can live together again. Then the Teddy Bear is trapped forever as a stuffed animal watching his lover make love to another man for decades. I don't know why people think that's a happy ending - you've got to be kidding me.

How is this series so long? I'm just not used to this, and the quality is just off the charts. Did someone die and leave a fortune for some gay director? Not only are the episodes long, but they are beautifully shot. The cinematography is wonderful, and even the opening credits are really classy. I feel like everything is on another level than what I'm used to. This might be the best Korean BL ever, and it's just way beyond anything out of Thailand. The acting is just superb and the chemistry of the mains is just totally beyond realistic [hyperbole] - it's some of the best I've ever seen. I'm dying to see more of this. This is a treasure-trove of BL magic, and it's like beyond anything that I had even thought would be possible in the near term. It reminds me of the major leap for BL's when ITSAY came out. I feel very spoiled right now, but I deserved this and so did you. Thanks to whoever for making this possible.

I agree with your points. Just wanted to clarify a few things, though. The mother is a parasite but she does have a job - it’s a struggling laundromat business, and her husband is atravelling salesman. She just wants extra money from Uea for little luxuries - again, a terrible mom but I just wanted to fill you in on the details. Uea’s real father is a policeman that cheated on his wife and married a wealthy woman. He seems to have completely abandoned his family. I believe Uea is just struggling to get rid of his mom and is just clinging on to a tiny hope that she will show him some love one day. It’s a little complex. He knows how bad she is but can’t make up his mind to completely get rid of her. Even in the novel he still sends her money even after he seems to completely repudiate her. The only difference, at the end, is he minimizes what he sends her, and doesn’t read anything she texts him.

I keep thinking this show had the wrong formula for a BL. The ratings for this show have crashed and I believe it’s because they have just had unrelenting depressing scenes involving Uea. The book is really much better but it also has the same level of trauma for Uea although it is structured much better so you understand the reason behind Uea’s issues, and every person that harasses him is integral to the story rather than seeming like another random sexual predator.

Unfortunately, most BL’s need a lot of fluff to keep people interested, and it’s the reason most of us watch them- for light entertainment. I think it’s possible to present traumatic events but they need to have a quicker resolution than in this series or some movement forward against the antagonists would probably be good enough - like Uea at least fighting back a little bit against his sexual assaulters, or against his mom. That this series has been sort of bleak for seven episodes is just not a good idea to keep people engaged. You’ll see that this drama will end on a positive note but it’s just probably too late for most people. It’s not really a bad story for a BL but it would probably have been better as a gay drama, and everyone would be ready for the incredible negativity and continuously depressive atmosphere.

I recommend the novel which is much more unified and where Uea actually takes meds for his PTSD. There are a lot of subtle differences between the novel and the screenplay of this series but they make all the difference. For one, none of Uea’s assaulters ever really attack him like in this series. The series seems to want to create a lot of extra drama and I think it really didn’t work. I think the only thing I really like in the series is NetJames and their chemistry. James especially did a great job this episode depicting all the psychological scars of his character.

This was an extraordinary BL, and one of the best I’ve ever seen. It was just so introspective, and subtle with a unique screenplay that featured an almost dream-like narrative. I thought the love story was one of the most inspired because it was so restrained, and one felt the emotions that were forgotten were part of this intense undercurrent that made every scene feel breathless, full of anticipation. I think the actors were truly inspired and brought such depth to the bare, and simple narrative by filling it with all their ever-changing, and multi-faceted emotions.

I think that the love that was always there from the first moment they met was always going to come back, and it was like the Jack O’Frost moment was the mischief that would always be ephemeral. The story is that this love would always return because it was so strong, and the time that was forgotten would be recovered because the emotions never changed. The loss of memory was a thing both Ritsu and Fumiya used to hide from each other. It was like Ritsu said, they both forgot things, and hid things from each other relying on the fog of unreliable memories. Ritsu absolves Fumiya from his deception claiming to have been no better than him, but even if it’s not true that he was as culpable as Fumiya, he knows that he can not claim to be without fault. His resolve to not forgive Fumiya was always weak, and his neighbor related as much to Fumiya, and so Fumiya could breach the tentative, and ambiguous separation between them. I think they make it clear that it wasn’t that hard when they meet at the café and Ritsu just assumes they will get back together, just relating how he loved Fumiya at first sight.

The music was particularly beautiful in the last minutes of this drama. They returned to playing Prelude to Afternoon with a Faun, just to remind everyone that this music is related to the first scene at the café, as part of the cyclical nature of this whole series, like when Ritsu redraws the picture of Jack Frost at this café after he has his amnesia. This is really a drama that has been just one of the most elevated and unique BL’s ever. It was thoughtfully crafted and made with some real inspiration and dedication.

Hooray! We need to hear more about treatment for mental health issues in BL’s. Uea is the poster child for someone who needs a therapist. I really believe there is a stigma in Thai media for presenting counseling as a way of dealing with trauma, even more than psychiatry. It’s probably because there’s a stigma to it in Thai society in general. People don’t really see therapists out there especially in the rural areas.

Nonetheless BL’s could offer modeling for therapy in their dramas just like they do for LGBTQ+ rights. I just hope to see more of this in the future. I’ve only seen two to three characters get treatment in any BL. I know it’s too expensive for a lot of Thai people, and I’m not certain what cheap or free options they have there, but people have to sacrifice some material goods for their mental well-being. Everyone will have to realize, someday, that their mental health is worth the expense. Hopefully it’s not a matter of starving or getting treatment, but I think most people could get therapy in some form if they make it a priority.

I think this as well. The character motivations will become clear by the end, and the drama is really making a serious point about how to confront sexual harrassers and even spiteful, homophobic parents. Uea's mom is really the worst I've ever seen in a BL and how he deals with her is really a valuable lesson for a lot of gay teens, and even just normal teens because there are many people that have been brought up by terrible parents.

Oh that's good to know for the future. I've bought other BL's on Amazon in the past because I like to keep them, and its easy to reference them when the whole book is in one spot. I'll keep an eye out for other platforms in the future though. I have to look for the apps you're talking about, because I just jumped the gun and couldn't find one. They looked like they went to these Thai stores, but there must have been others I missed.

But even in the novel King doesn't reveal why the arranged marriage date was really not important, hence the confusion that leads to Uea thinking that King no longer cares for him. There is no inconsistency with the novel here. This scene is not padding. It's actually a necessary part of the plot leading to the point where Uea runs out of town hoping to start a new life without King.

First of all, Uea has seen a psychiatrist and is taking meds. This is not shown in the series, of course, and would have greatly alleviated a lot of the concern for how this character seems to be oblivious to his own mental health. Uea doesn’t go to a therapist, but it seems like this is as far as BL’s go if you look at other series like The Eclipse, and Don’t Say No. So at least Uea has made some attempt and is also aware that he’s a little messed up. Uea also knows he’s fragile and that is why he doesn’t want to risk getting into relationships because he’s afraid of the depression that will ensue after a break-up. James is actually portraying this character very well. Uea also puts on a cold front with people because he is afraid of engaging with them for similar reasons and this makes people think he’s arrogant. I think James captures this really skillfully with his acting – King also assumed Uea was arrogant until he got to know him at work.

King is rather straightforward and he develops a relationship with Uea, at first, just for sex, but he later develops feelings for him in a very gradual and natural progression. Uea develops feelings for King in a similar way and those feelings accelerate every time King does something for Uea, like when he protects him from his ex. Uea has been savaged by many people in his life, especially by his mom and step-father, so when someone protects him, it really makes him very appreciative.

Now this novel is not incredible. It’s not Madame Bovary, but it’s written well. Unlike many BL’s the English is mostly good, and you can almost think it was written by someone from the West. All the character movitivations are really well done. There are no plot holes, and the pacing is excellent. I finished most of this novel in one day and it became very gripping. The most intense parts are those involving Krit, and Uea’s mom later on. If people are concerned about a host of abusers going after Uea, the reason to have each of the abusers in the story are laid out well, and so Uea is not just a punching bag that is supposed to entertain us while we watch him being traumatized. The step-father really was the worst because he was with Uea for at least 4 years, and was going after him the whole time while Uea was unable to leave. He finally gets away from him after going to university, but was in constant danger that whole time until his step-father got a job as a traveling salesman, leaving for months at a time. The reason Uea even tries to help his mom after she put him through all of this was because Uea was hoping his mom would show him at least some sign that she cared about him, even the tiniest bit. He was craving to be told that he mattered, and since he was an introvert with few friends, he really needed some validation because his feelings were so fragile. In the end he does confront her.

The most intense part of the novel occurs when Uea suspects King is going to leave him for the woman that King’s mom has set up for him. King’s father has a business partner whose daughter would be an ideal match, but King is never interested in her, and the girl has similar feelings about the whole arrangement. King doesn’t really communicate this well and Uea, who is constantly being harassed at work by Krit suddenly breaks down and gets into a fight with King over this. King stops talking to Uea so he can calm down and talk to him him more rationally, and so the two don’t speak to each other for ten days. Uea also hears that King was going on a second date with the girl his mom had arranged for him, and feels that he’s lost King. King is only going on the second date because his mom was incredibly insistent, but his only intent was to tell the girl he would never be interested in going forward with the marriage. Uea, though, has fallen into a depression because King hasn’t been talking to him, and is certain that he is going to leave him. This is the situation that Uea most wanted to avoid, and produces one of the best lines in the novel: Uea begins to loathe love [I’m going to have to steal that one day, lol].

While all this is going on Uea gets a call from his sister and she tells him his boss, Krit, is visiting their home. Uea is infuriated when he hears this because he realizes Krit has been going into his personnel file to find his former address. He goes to his mom's home to confront Krit, and when he gets there he tells him to leave immediately. His mother tells him to calm down and also says that Krit would be a great catch because he seems so wealthy [apparent from the fancy car he drove in]. Uea is angered by this and asks her why she cares about that when she hates that he’s a fag. She tells him it’s because Krit can help provide money for the family. Uea just breaks down hearing this and asks if all she cares about is using him to get money at which points she starts to get angry, in turn, because he’s started yelling at her. His step father comes out hearing all the commotion and tells them to talk more calmly. Uea is incensed seeing him and tells him to shut up, and the mom tells him to stop talking so impudently to his father. Uea is even more enraged and says that he never thought of him as his father and asks her why she never protected him when his stepfather molested him. Several of the neighbors hear all the shouting and are starting to listen in on the conversation. Uea asks her if she ever cared about him and asks her why she hates him so much. She finally loses it and says “Yeah, I hate you. You and your father.” She says she regrets that he was ever born, and that her life wouldn’t have been so rough if she hadn’t given birth to him. She also tells him he grew up to be a fag and she has nothing to be proud of with him. Uea is crushed hearing all this and asks her if she didn’t intend to love him, why didn’t she have an abortion, and why did she ever let him be born. He leaves in a daze telling her that “this mistake”, meaning him, would no longer interfere with her life. This was really an incredible scene and you can see clearly what delusion Uea had clung to for years, because he was afraid to confront this stark reality of his mother’s brutality.

Later on Uea decides to resign from his job, and he decides to live with his aunt in Lampang if she will let him – he hasn’t seen her since he was young. He sends a message to King telling him he wants to stop being FWB. Uea has already written his resignation letter and lets Jade deliver it. King hears about this and later sees the message from Uea. King is very distraught and explains everything behind their relationship to Jade who can’t believe what he’s hearing. BTW Jade’s character is really oblivious to these kind of things, and that’s very consistent in his characterization – he’s even oblivious to Mai’s obvious feelings for him. He begs Jade to tell him where Uea is since he won’t talk to him anymore. Eventually King does find out where Uea is and that his kind aunt has taken him in. King makes up with Uea and explains everything about his status with the girl from before. He also apologizes profusely for the argument they had and for not talking to him for that week. King also tells him that he doesn’t have to worry about work. The whole staff protested to their boss about Krit’s behavior and Krit was transferred out. King also asks that if Uea would allow him to now become his boyfriend. Uea after a lot of hesitation finally consents to this. This was a really touching part of the novel, where he overcomes his fear of being rejected, and makes the first tentative move to achieving the first real love of his life.

I’ll leave this summary up to this point. There is still more to the novel after this, but this summary is already too long. I think this is really a fantastic story, and people should be aware that this series might really be worth their while. They really aren’t veering too far from the main story, even if they could work on a lot of the details.

They might because the resolution of those problems in a very positive way would make the suffering he undergoes just a set up. It’s like any other show where the villains get their comeuppance. Unfortunately, in a BL they don’t go to jail or anything. The scenario that’s a happy ending here involves Uea living his life without harassment going forward and living a very happy life with his lover and friends. Let’s put it another way, the lesson from this BL is really one for the real world. Until Uea confronts his harassers he will not be free of them. The suffering he encounters is because he sits by and passively accepts all their evil, and as an audience you see that build up and tension in each episode is necessary for the resolution. In a normal BL the conflicts are minor or unrealistic and you just watch the show for fluff just like we’re watching a Boss and a Babe for that right now. In a gay drama a character like Uea might commit suicide and the resolution is just very dark and makes the whole show terrible for people who watch BL’s that are looking for an uplifting story. At the end of the day, Bed Friend will have a very positive ending and I think the episodes that have all that suffering just add to that happy ending because it will definitely feel like the characters earned it.

Look, it’s not that bad. They will resolve Uea’s issues in the next few episodes. I’ve summarized what happens in the novel below. The series is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. The drawback is that people are unaware of how this is supposed to resolve and in a BL people are looking for resolutions episode by episode but this plot only resolves in the later episodes. Just wait and give it a chance. I jumped the gun myself so I completely understand your current dislike for the series but just wait- the latest episode you watch is not what the series is about, trust me. Or don’t trust me, because I like people making up their own minds. Maybe circle back to this at the end of the series and see if the series as a whole makes sense.

Read below. I found it on Amazon, but other sites are cheaper